History
KSVI went on the air January 8, 1993,[3] under the ownership of Big Horn Communications.[4] Big Horn had previously signed on KOUS-TV (channel 4) in 1980. However, for most of its existence, KOUS was plagued by marginal reception in some parts of Billings, since its transmitter was located 18 mi east of the city in order to ensure city-grade coverage of its city of license, Hardin.[5][3] In hopes of getting better reception in Billings, Big Horn won a construction permit for channel 6 after the allocation was moved from Miles City.[5]
KOUS signed off for the last time on January 8,[3] and later that day the KOUS intellectual unit—including the ABC affiliation—moved to KSVI on channel 6.[4] At the outset, channel 6's programming was also seen on KYUS-TV (channel 3) in Miles City[6] and KCTZ (channel 7) in Bozeman,[7] both of which had previously served as satellites of KOUS. KCTZ was sold to Cordillera Communications several months later to become a satellite of KXLF-TV in Butte[7] (eventually becoming KBZK), while KYUS was sold to Stephen Marks in 1995[8] (originally proposed to become a satellite of KXGN-TV in Glendive,[8] KYUS now simulcasts KULR-TV from Billings). Following the sale of KCTZ, KSVI's programming was carried on translators K26DE (channel 26) in Bozeman and K43DU (channel 43) in Butte;[9] this ended when KWYB signed on in 1996. Channel 6 also, at its sign-on, inherited Billings translator station K25BP, which was originally intended to improve KOUS' signal in Billings.[5]
KSVI added a secondary affiliation with Fox in April 1994; this was primarily to carry the network's NFL coverage,[10] but 15 hours a week of other Fox programs, such as Married... with Children and The Simpsons, were aired in overnight and weekend timeslots not programmed by ABC.[11] Following this deal, cable systems in the Billings area removed Foxnet from their lineups.[12] The secondary Fox affiliation ended when channel 4 returned to the air in August 1995 as Fox affiliate KHMT under a local marketing agreement with KSVI.[13] Also in June 1995, channel 6 added a secondary affiliation with UPN (it had carried the first season of the network's Star Trek: Voyager on a standalone basis before signing as a formal secondary affiliate that June).[14] this affiliation, which was eventually shared with KHMT,
Big Horn Communications sold KSVI to Great Trails Broadcasting Corporation for $17.37 million in 1997.[17] The following year, Great Trails exited broadcasting and sold the station (and its LMA with KHMT), along with WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland, and WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Quorum Broadcasting Company for $65 million.[18] Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired Quorum for $230 million in December 2003.[19]
